Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all~
I am considering purchasing a Woma and I am getting conflicting views of information on their disposition. Most of what I have read says they are one of the most docile and easy to handle Pythons, but I am also being told by some that they can be quite aggressive.
I would welcome any feedback. Thanks!

Kind regards~

Rob Mowell

You may get mixed responses on this. I have only been keeping womas for a little while, so im not the most qualified to answer this question...But yes most of the time Womas are very Docile, I keep 5 ages ranging from 2-4 years old. They do not seem to mind being handled, and are very curiouse snakes. And I am sure there are the occasional aggressive individuals. The only time I feel i need to use caution around them is getting them out of their enclosures. They have a very strong feeding response, and as soon as I open the cage the first thing they look for is food. I have been bitten once by a Woma during feeding, I was using tongs that where to short, and it went straight past them and latched onto my finger. Not incredibly painful but I learned my lesson. These encounters are avoidable just use caution and proper equipment. Good luck.
Mike W.

Thanks Mike!

I have a pair and the female couldn't be any more different than the male. She is an absolute terror, attacking anything that goes near her, and I am not just talking about a feeding response. The male, on the other hand, is one of the calmest snakes I have. Here are some pics to show the contrast in their dispositions.

The Female

Female trying to eat my leg.

This is what happened when I tried to take her picture. I had to get a crappy disposable camera to take this.

The Male

Like a puppy.
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1.1 Womas, 1.0 Australian Olive Python, 1.1 Cape York Spotted Pythons, 1.0 Australian Water Python, 1.0 Albino Green Burmese, 1.1 Loxocemus bicolor (New World "Pythons" ), 2.2 Peruvian Red-Tail Boas, 2.1 Hog Island Boas, 0.1 Belem Brazilian Red- Tail Boa, 0.0.1 North American Wood Turtle, 0.0.2 European Pond Turtles, 1.0 Leucistic Alligator Snapper, 0.0.1 FL Red Belly, 0.0.1 Concentric Diamondback Terrapin, 0.0.1 Marine Toad, 1.2 Crested Geckos, 1.0 Yellow Ackie, 1.0 Yellow Bearded Dragon

Thanks for the info! [Nice looking Womas, BTW.] That is really bizarre how aggressive the female is; any explanation for it or is it just her personality?

Regards~

Rob

I think she is just ornery and nasty. I bought her as an adult and the guy who had her before me said she was always really fiesty and he never handled her. But she looked good and the price was right. Here are the pics I snapped right before she grabbed the camera from me.

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1.1 Womas, 1.0 Australian Olive Python, 1.1 Cape York Spotted Pythons, 1.0 Australian Water Python, 1.0 Albino Green Burmese, 1.1 Loxocemus bicolor (New World "Pythons" ), 2.2 Peruvian Red-Tail Boas, 2.1 Hog Island Boas, 0.1 Belem Brazilian Red- Tail Boa, 0.0.1 North American Wood Turtle, 0.0.2 European Pond Turtles, 1.0 Leucistic Alligator Snapper, 0.0.1 FL Red Belly, 0.0.1 Concentric Diamondback Terrapin, 0.0.1 Marine Toad, 1.2 Crested Geckos, 1.0 Yellow Ackie, 1.0 Yellow Bearded Dragon

Those are beautiful animals, but that middle one is absolutely CLASSIC...great pic regardless of image quality.

All of my womas have gone through a phase when they try to eat everything. EVERYTHING. Legs, fingers, arms, tongs, hooks, shoes, themselves.....It's not that they're being aggressive but that they are constantly in feeding mode. Mine have all grown out of this phase and are completely docile - on par with the tamest of ball pythons.

I'd lay heavy odds that your "aggressive" one just hasn't outgrown this phase - prior owner probably didn't help by not trying to handle the animal, and leaving feeding as the only association it has with people. If you'll notice in your pics, the snake is not in an aggressive posture - not poised to strike, not hissing, not gaping (open mouth), and yet decided that whatever was in your hand (in this case your camera) was worth trying to eat. I really don't think it's about aggression; I think it just wants to eat EVERYTHING! Feed the heck out of that woma for the next several months and I'll bet that it will calm down a lot.

My experience is that they all go through this phase and that once they outgrow it, they are extremely docile. As adults they will still on occasion exhibit a body-twitching feeding response - they're very touch sensitive because of the way they hunt in rodent burrows, pinning they're prey to the side of the burrow if it's too tight for them to turn around, bite, and coil - but it's very easy to tell and to deal with. Just steer their head away with a hook, water bowl, hide box, etc. and pick them right up - they quickly figure out that it's not about food this time, pop out of feeding mode, and are calm as can be.

For those considering their first Woma, just be aware that their little brains have two gears: feeding mode, and not. When in feeding mode, just show them the appropriate respect. When in not, they are sweet little puppies!

Steve Reiners
BoaMorph
www.BoaMorph.com

Alright, I already stuff her like crazy. I take her out with the hook quite often and she calms down a little when she is out of the cage, but not to the point where I can touch her. That leg shot was taken when she was out of her cage for 20 minutes. She is already a couple years old and about 4' long. I have been trying to handle her more with hopes of taming her a bit, but with little luck so far. Even my 7' water python is easier to handle than she is.
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1.1 Womas, 1.0 Australian Olive Python, 1.1 Cape York Spotted Pythons, 1.0 Australian Water Python, 1.0 Albino Green Burmese, 1.1 Loxocemus bicolor (New World "Pythons" ), 2.2 Peruvian Red-Tail Boas, 2.1 Hog Island Boas, 0.1 Belem Brazilian Red- Tail Boa, 0.0.1 North American Wood Turtle, 0.0.2 European Pond Turtles, 1.0 Leucistic Alligator Snapper, 0.0.1 FL Red Belly, 0.0.1 Concentric Diamondback Terrapin, 0.0.1 Marine Toad, 1.2 Crested Geckos, 1.0 Yellow Ackie, 1.0 Yellow Bearded Dragon

Those are some funny photos! All but one of my womas are extremely docile and she too is calm as can be as soon as she is picked up, I just have to give her a moment to realize that I am not food.

I don't have a ton of experience with woma's but I have a pair. They act really aggressive, coiled in the S-position but when I reach in to take them out they are quite tame.I would recomend getting them from a good reputable breeder. I purchased mine from Brian at BHB and am very pleased.

Peter

Thanks for the info, Peter!

Regards~

Rob Mowell

I can only tell you about mine. They are wonderful. I have 2.2 All 4 are great. the girls eat right off a paper plate. the Boys like to attack there food. But, all of them side on my lap at the computer. I would recomend them to anyone.
Jess

Thanks for your feedback, Jess. Since my original posting of this question, I have proceeded forward and purchased a male. So far, I have found him to be very placid and curious. I find myself just sitting and watching him in his vivarium, as he is just stunning. I have to agree with one person's comments who said that they are very diliberate and you can almost tell what they are "thinking". He is very quickly becoming a "favorite" in my collection!

Kind regards~

Rob Mowell